Annual Leave

Policy Statement

A regular employee who works one-half time or more shall earn paid vacation/annual leave. (See BOR Policy Manual regarding Leave Policy.) A full-time regular employee shall be entitled to vacation/annual leave earned at the rate of:

One and one-fourth working days per month (10 hours) for each of the first five (5) years of continuous employment;

One and one-half working days per month (12 hours) for each of the next five (5) years of continuous employment; and

One and three-fourths working days per month (14 hours) for each year after the completion of ten (10) years of continuous employment.

The accrual rate of vacation/annual leave for an hourly employee will be based upon his/her standard work commitment.

A regular employee who works one-half time or more but less that full-time shall accrue vacation/annual leave prorated on the basis of full-time employment. An employee who is employed less than one-half time shall not be eligible to accrue vacation/annual leave.

A full-time faculty member employed on a twelve (12) month or fiscal year basis shall be entitled to vacation/annual leave earned at the rate of one and three-fourths working days (14 hours) per month.

A temporary employee is not eligible to accrue vacation/annual leave.

Vacation/annual leave may be taken with supervisor’s approval. Requests for leave should be submitted with as much advance notice as possible, except for unforeseen emergencies. The use of approved vacation/annual leave shall be recorded on institutional leave records.

Annual leave will not be accepted from a benefited employee who moves from a State of Georgia agency to the University System of Georgia (BR Minutes, June 2005).

Reason for Policy

This policy ensures consistent application of leave at individual institutions.

Entities Affected By This Policy

All units of the University System of Georgia are covered by this policy.

Who Should Read This Policy

All employees within the University System of Georgia should be aware of this policy.

Website Address for This Policy

Related Documents/Resources

Definitions

These definitions apply to these terms as they are used in this policy:

Board of Regents: The governing body of the University System of Georgia

Overview

Regular Employee

A regular employee who works one-half time or more shall earn paid vacation/annual leave. A full-time regular employee shall be entitled to vacation/annual leave earned at the rate of:

One and one-fourth working days per month (10 hours) for each of the first five (5) years of continuous employment;

One and one-half working days per month (12 hours) for each of the next five (5) years of continuous employment; and

One and three-fourths working days per month (14 hours) for each year after the completion of ten (10) years of continuous employment.

The accrual rate of vacation/annual leave for an hourly employee will be based upon his/her standard work commitment.

A regular employee who works one-half time or more but less that full-time shall accrue vacation/annual leave prorated on the basis of full-time employment. An employee who is employed less than one-half time shall not be eligible to accrue vacation/annual leave.

Temporary Employee

A temporary employee is not eligible to accrue vacation/annual leave.

Faculty and Administrative Officers

A full-time faculty member employed on a twelve (12) month or fiscal year basis shall be entitled to vacation/annual leave earned at the rate of one and three-fourths working days (14 hours) per month. All working days during the fiscal year shall be counted; absences during academic calendar breaks shall be recorded as vacation; and all vacation days shall be recorded on institutional leave records.

A full-time administrative officer employed on a twelve (12) month or fiscal year basis shall be entitled to vacation/annual leave earned at the rate of one and three-fourths working days (14 hours) per month. The use of approved vacation/annual leave shall be recorded on institutional leave records.

The accrual rate of vacation/annual leave for a faculty member or for an administrative officer will be based upon his/her contractual work commitment.

A faculty member, who changes from a fiscal year contract to an academic year contract shall be paid his/her unused, accrued vacation/annual leave subject to the 45-day (360-hour) maximum payment restriction upon termination of the fiscal year contract.

A faculty member employed on an academic year (9- to 10-month) basis does not earn vacation/annual leave. An academic year contracted faculty member who teaches during Maymester and/or summer semester will not be eligible to accrue vacation/annual leave for such service.

Vacation/annual leave shall be accrued based on the initial employment date of an employee. A new hire must be employed on or before the fifteenth of a month to qualify for accrual of vacation/annual leave for that month.

Vacation/annual leave may be taken with supervisor’s approval. Requests for leave should be submitted with as much advance notice as possible, except for unforeseen emergencies. Vacation/annual leave shall be taken at times mutually acceptable to the employee and his/her supervisor.

The use of approved vacation/annual leave shall be recorded on institutional leave records. Negative leave balances are not allowed. Employees who utilize more leave than accrued shall be placed on leave of absence without pay.

On December 31 of each calendar year, each employee’s leave record shall be adjusted to reflect no more than 45 days (360 hours) of accrued vacation/annual leave.

All unused, accrued vacation/annual leave, not to exceed 45 days (360 hours), shall be paid to an employee upon his/her termination from employment. An employee who terminates on or after the fifteenth of a month shall accrue vacation/annual leave for that month.

Upon a move between University System institutions with no break in service, an employee must transfer all accrued vacation/annual leave up to 20 days (160 hours). For employees with accrued vacation/annual leave of greater than 20 days (160 hours), an employee may elect one of the following options:

Transfer of the total accrued vacation balance, not to exceed 45 days (360 hours); or

Payment by the institution from which the employee is moving of accrued vacation leave in excess of 20 days (160 hours). The total accrued vacation leave for which the employee may be paid shall not exceed 25 days (200 hours)

Responsibilities

The responsibilities each party has in connection with the Policy on Employee Annual Leave are: